AMES, Ia. — Most of what Iowa State nose guard Ray Lima does during games doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or get noticed by fans.

But he has still made a major impact on the Iowa State defense this season, and what he’s done hasn’t been ignored.

“Ray Lima — to be honest with you — if you really study the tape, is kind of the unsung hero right now of what’s going on, on that defense,” said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.

It's easy to understand why Lima doesn't receive a lot of the praise. In four games this season, Lima has tallied just nine tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

The stats don’t jump off the page, but Lima's actions do stick out in film study. Lima sometimes takes on multiple offensive linemen, which frees up some of his teammates to make tackles.

Limam and his fellow starting defensive linemen (J.D. Waggoner, Vernell Trent and JaQuan Bailey) have also created openings for linebackers to make plays against opposing ball carriers.

Against Texas, Iowa State middle linebacker Joel Lanning tallied a career-high 20 tackles. Had it not been for Lima and the rest of the line, Lanning said those eye-popping stats might have taken a hit.

“What’s happening is they’re usually double-teaming Ray or they’re double-teaming Vernell Trent,” Lanning said “I can’t thank those guys enough for what they do. Obviously, that’s their job, to take on the big guys and get them distracted from us so that we can fill the gaps and make the plays. The whole year, the D-line’s been killing it for us ‘backers.”

Lima has been the center of it all.

“There’s consistency inside,” said Iowa State defensive coordinator/safeties coach Jon Heacock. “If you’re going to be good at anything in most sports, you’ve got to be good down the middle. And he’s playing really good football in there down the middle, which allows us to do some stuff outside of that. That doesn’t always get seen.”

What many fans are seeing is a defense that has performed well above expectations , especially up front. The line was one of the bigger question marks heading into the season, with 2016 starters Demond Tucker, Jhaustin Thomas and Mitchell Meyers all needing to be replaced.

Although the group was doubted, Lima and his teammates took the questioning as motivation.

“We just came out with a chip on our shoulders,” Lima said. “No one expected much from us.”

The group suddenly doesn’t seem to be much of a concern. Iowa State is tied for the Big 12 Conference lead with 11 sacks and ranks third in rushing defense (115.5 yards per game). And partly because of Lima and the strong line, Lanning ranks second in the conference in tackles (11.5 per game), and linebacker Marcel Spears Jr. is third (10.2).

“It makes me feel good that if I took up two (blockers) and then that leaves a hole for Joel to come in make that play or (linebacker) Willie (Harvey), then I’m fine with that,” Lima said. “I love that."

Lima said he used to get caught up in padding stats. That's no longer a concern. Instead, Lima said he enjoys seeing his teammates get the glory.

“My mentality has changed as far as going out there, playing for myself and just playing to get my numbers up,” Lima said. “Three-and-outs is what is in my head.”

Lima has had that mindset ever since arriving in Ames. There were high hopes. The redshirt sophomore was listed as a top-10 defensive tackle nationally by Scout and 247Sports while at El Camino Community College.

After arriving on Iowa State’s campus Jan. 6, Lima was able to get a jump-start on learning the Iowa State defense. It made for such a smooth transition that Lima earned a starting spot when the season began.

So far, he’s lived up to the high expectations.

“He’s got the ability to really control the middle of the defense in a lot of ways,” Campbell said.

The group will face possibly its toughest challenge of the season in third-ranked Oklahoma. The Sooners have an offense averaging 48.0 points per game, a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Baker Mayfield and an experienced offensive line that returned all five starters from a season ago.

“We don’t really look at them and try to get intimidated,” Lima said. “We’ve got to respect (them). Those are veteran guys that do good at what they do, but we’ve just got to come in and try to play to the best of our ability.”